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Oedee ANSERES.] 



[Fam. PROCELLARIID^ 



PEOCELLAEIA LESSON! 



(WHITE-HEADED PETREL.) 



30: 



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r 



*^**r Htith 



Od 



lowrr 





^•* 1 



t«K2 



Br 



, pwRitedliT 



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;!ie L! -'^ Barrier and 



A.n 



r am 



neinsub'^TtuManbunows. 



Q ^9«tf being extremely 



i^ 



f would allow 



il in 



^rm measuring 2''^ 



Procellaria lessonii, Garnot, Ann. Sci. Nat. vii. p. 54, pi. 4 (1826). 

 Procellaria leucocephala^ Forst. Descr. Anim. p. 206 (1844). 

 Rhantistes lessoni^ Bonap. C. R. xlii. p. 768 (1856). 

 Astrelata leucocephala^ Bonap. Consp. Av. ii. p. 189 (1857). 

 JEstrelata lessonii^ Cass. Proc. Phil. Acad. 1862, p. 327. 

 Fulmarus lessoni^ Gray, Hand-1. of B. iii. p. 106 (1871). 



Ad. pileo summo et facie laterali albidis : regione ante- et suboculari nigricante : coUo postico et laterali albi- 



cante obsolete cinereo transfasciato : interscapulio et dorso superiore obscure cinereis^ ad apicem obsolete 

 fulvescente fasciatis : dorso postico et uropygio saturate fuliginosis, supracaudalibus albis, versus apicem 

 cinerascentibus : tectricibus alarum fuliginoso-brunneis^ majoribus extus cinereis : remigibus fuliginoso- 

 brunneisj intiis cinerascentibus : cauda alb^^ pennis centralibus suprk cinereis^ reliquis plus minusve 

 obsolete brunneo vermiculatis ; corpore subtus albo : subalaribus fuliginoso-brunneis : rostro nigro : 

 pedibus obscure flavis^ digito externo et palmis partim nigris : iride nigra. 



Adult, Crown of the head and nape greyish white^ obscurely and minutely freckled with darker grey; back, 

 mantlCj and rump cinereous grey ; upper surface of wings brownish black, the larger coverts narrowly 

 edged with greyish white ; sides of the head white, with a broad mark of brownish black crossing the 

 eyesj throat, fore neck, and all the underparts pure white; primaries and secondaries brownish black, 

 lighter on their inner webs ; tail-feathers pale cinereous grey on their upper surface, and freckled at the 

 tips ; inner lining of wings sooty black, varied with grey. Irides and bill black ; tarsi and a portion of 

 the feet dull yellow ; the outer toe of each foot and a diagonal patch across the webs black. Total 

 length 18 inches; wing, from flexure, 12; tail 5*5 ; bill, following the curvature of upper mandible 1*9, 

 length of lower mandible 1'7; tarsus 1-6; middle toe and claw 2*5. 



I HATE never seen this fine Petrel in New Zealand, and it is evidently very rare. The example 

 figured in our Plate was obtained at the Bay of Islands, and is now in the British Museum. 



Mr. Gould has given the following account of this species in his ' Birds of Australia : '■ 

 " While engaged in watching the movements of the several species of the great family of Pro- 

 cellaridw, which at one time often and often surrounded the ships that conveyed me round the 

 world, a bright speck would appear on the distant horizon, and, gradually approaching nearer and 

 nearer, at length assume the form of the White-headed Petrel, whose wing-powers far exceed 

 those of any of its congeners : at one moment it would be rising high in the air, at the next 

 sweeping comet-like through the flocks flying around ; never, however, approaching suiRciently 

 near for a successful shot ; and it was equally wary in avoiding the boat with which I was fre- 

 quently favoured for the purpose of procuring examples of other species." He states, moreover, 

 that during flight the dark colouring on the wings shows very conspicuously, assuming the form 

 of the letter W. 



